


sunrise on your sins

by rogueshadows



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Feelings, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 10:23:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13522257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rogueshadows/pseuds/rogueshadows
Summary: Cassian reflects on things after the celebration on Yavin 4 and runs into the man who completed Rogue One's mission.Cassian is halfway back down the hall when he spots a figure he hadn’t expected, standing against the wall just beyond the entrance to the throne room where Cassian can still hear laughter echo. It takes only a moment for Cassian to recognize that it’s Skywalker, the bright yellow jacket giving him away. His medal is still looped around his neck and he’s toying with it in one hand. He seems more somber than he had in the midst of everything, lost in thought enough that he doesn’t notice Cassian staring.





	sunrise on your sins

**Author's Note:**

  * For [misskatieleigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/misskatieleigh/gifts), [ANTchan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANTchan/gifts).



> Thanks to misskatieleigh and ANTchan for beta work and cheerleading this, especially while I floundered to find an ending.
> 
> Keep an eye out for the hint of unrequited Cassian/Bodhi that could give way to an ot3 sequel.

Once the princess steps down from the stage— after the speeches and applause— the rows of bystanders to the medal ceremony give way to a more relaxed atmosphere of sheer relief. People of all ranks mingle, joyfully clapping each other on the back and clasping hands, still high on the thrill of victory. Cassian feels lighter, even as his injuries ache, a new hope swelling in his chest that they just might have a chance against the Empire after all. He thinks of his own role in it all so abstractly, from the necessary tragedy of shooting Tivik, to finding Jyn on Wobani, to Scarif’s shore. It was all like a clear line he couldn’t help but follow. He stands apart and feels so undeserving of the praise he’s received, the fact that he survived it at all an unwieldy truth he carries. He can only quirk his lips politely at the warm wishes and grinning glances so many have to offer, hoping no one else thanks him, no matter how well they mean.

Jyn must feel much of the same, Cassian thinks, as she stands by his side with her arm looped almost protectively around his waist. His own rests around her shoulder in an echo of those not-so-final moments on the beach. For all they’d fought and forgiven each other, he feels nothing but gratitude for her now. At least someone on this base understands. The only person who can draw her from his side is Bodhi, a little worse for wear but still so strong when he edges over to their place along the wall.

“The princess is going to introduce us to the pilots and, well, everyone, if...if you guys want,” Bodhi says, sounding a bit nervous at the prospect. Jyn offers a smile of assurance his way, shifting out of her entwined stance with Cassian and threading her arm through Bodhi’s in solidarity.

“I suppose it’s as good a time as any,” Jyn says, “we’ll all be working together soon.” She shoots Cassian a knowing look as she says it, another firm reminder that she’s sticking around, she and Bodhi both signing up the moment they were free of medical. Cassian pretends to mull over the offer but shakes his head, knowing Leia won’t judge him too harshly.

“They’ll all want a story and, well, I’m not much for speaking...You two go, though. I’ll just stick around here.” Bodhi reaches out, brushing fingers against Cassian’s arm, warm and comforting.

“You sure? I’d be just as glad to stick with you,” he says. Cassian knows Bodhi would stay if he asked, if he leaned into the touch and drew him close against the wall to watch the rest of the night pass by. He won’t hold Bodhi back like that though, shaking his head again and managing an air of contentment that’s convincing enough to make Bodhi step away. Jyn is still looking at him, but he reaches out, squeezing her elbow and whispering reassuringly, “I’ll be fine.”

(Bodhi hasn’t stopped glancing down at his medal since they looped it around his neck. While Cassian had opted out of accepting one, he can’t help the swell of pride it brings to see Bodhi rewarded for his courage. Jyn had taken hers too, stepping up on the stage with her hand in Bodhi’s. Cassian knows it’s more of a reminder of her father’s sacrifice than anything else, a modicum of closure after all she’s endured. Mon Mothma holds the ones made for Baze and Chirrut in memoriam. For everyone else who hadn’t made it, there are only letters to be sent and effects to be gathered before the base is abandoned.)

It convinces them to go and Cassian finds himself falling back on his skillset and watching the room. He wonders how long he should stay before it would be polite to leave, or, at least, at what point his friends won’t begrudge his absence so much. On the edge of the room he spots the real focus of the ceremony, the Alliance’s unlikely heroes: the farmboy, the smuggler, and the wookiee.

(Cassian knows Leia had as much part in her own rescue as they did, but doubts she’d ever publicize it, the spectre of Alderaan more than even a princess can bear. She floats gracefully between the leaders and fighters gathered, accepting condolences and congratulations in one. He hopes he can take her for a real drink when all of this is said and done, like they used to sneak when they were younger. He would come back too raw sometimes after a hard mission, knowing her responsibilities weighed on her too as she offered up a flask stashed in her dress pocket or the key to her father’s office where he kept his best liquor.)

Skywalker seems to charm everyone who approaches, listening intently as they speak and smiling. It’s only in the moments in between that Cassian considers how overwhelmed he might feel in the newness of being a public figure. There’s something vulnerable in the way his eyes scan the room, seeking out Leia or Han before another hand is thrust in his or a sudden hug is offered. He’s almost as good as Leia when it comes to putting people at ease, that same bright nobility and unquestionable good one can’t help but follow. Cassian had known it from the moment he heard the boy speak out in the war room, breaking through the shadow of everyone’s disbelief with sheer will. Some snickered at how naive he sounded, but Cassian had only seen the light. It was the same spark he’d trusted in his unexpected friends when they left Yavin to retrieve the plans.

(When Jyn had led them outside, to sit at the side of the ziggurat and watch the sky rather than listen, he’d tried to keep that light in mind. The Death Star had drawn close and they had stared it down, silently wondering if Yavin would end in ashes just as Jedha had. Bodhi turned his head, burying it in Jyn’s shoulder. She wavered, eyes brimming with tears for the first time since the beach. There was a shift in pressure in the air, but no sound as the dark shadow blasted away into brightness. Cassian could barely process what he was seeing, and Jyn shook Bodhi out of his horror, making him turn his head to watch as the debris rained down into the atmosphere. They’d done it.

 _Luke Skywalker_ had, Cassian found out later. A boy from the far-flung edge of the galaxy, Force sent to save them all, like a legend in the flesh.)

In the present, Cassian can tell Luke is more than that, watching him diplomatically make the circuit through the room. He makes himself look away from the man, stretching out his still sore leg and sighing out a breath. He pushes off from the wall and tries to find Jyn and Bodhi in the crowd. He’s unsurprised to see Bodhi huddled with the pilots, chatting with Wedge Antilles and grinning brightly. Jyn is speaking with Leia, off to the side of the crowd, something soft and serious between the two that Cassian doesn’t want to interrupt. It’s as good a time as any for him to disappear.

Cassian edges out of the throne room and starts the slow walk back to his quarters. By the time he’s halfway down the hall, his hip is burning, the pain hypos he’d been given before the ceremony wearing off. He considers bearing with it, taking the few pills he has back in his room and hoping for the best. It’s moments like this when he remembers Kay most vividly, how he’d turn and reprimand Cassian for not taking care of himself, threatening to haul him off to the med center.

In that clarity he sighs, begrudgingly turning to head there himself, even though there’s no one around to force him anymore. It’s in the opposite direction of his quarters and Cassian feels frustrated that he’ll only agitate his injury more by the time he gets there. He hates the pitying look the nurses send his way when he comes in and how they fawn over him.

He’s halfway back down the hall when he spots a figure he hadn’t expected, standing against the wall just beyond the entrance to the throne room where Cassian can still hear laughter echo. It takes only a moment for Cassian to recognize that it’s Skywalker, the bright yellow jacket giving him away. His medal is still looped around his neck and he’s toying with it in one hand. He seems more somber than he had in the midst of everything, lost in thought enough that he doesn’t notice Cassian staring. Cassian attempts to just shuffle past and leave him to his moment’s peace, but Luke looks up before he can retreat. Cassian tries to conceal the pain he feels radiating from his hip as best he can with a placid look.

Luke smiles softly and Cassian stills, awaiting the polite conversation to come with some dread. His eyes spark in something that might be recognition and Cassian wonders how long it will take for him to mention Scarif, to call Cassian a hero and bring back the guilt he still feels at the word.

“You sneaking off too?” Luke asks conspiratorially. It takes Cassian by surprise.

“Don’t tell anyone,” Cassian says in response, trying to keep his voice light. He wants to brush Luke off, nod and continue on his way, but something feels unsettled.

“Would you mind some company,?” Luke asks hopefully, “It’s Andor, right?”

“Cassian,” he says filling the awkward pause and feeling somewhat out of his depth. He’s especially taken off guard by how much he wants to say yes to the offer. How much he nearly does say yes before a pang flows through his hip again. Luke must see him wince because his easy smile falters.

“You’re hurt,” Luke says, taking a step forward as his brow furrows in concern. Cassian almost recoils back, out of habit after all the poking and prodding in the med center, feeling his posture go stiff.

“I just need a hypo. That’s where I was headed, actually.”

“Can I walk with you?”

“People will be missing you. I don’t need help, really.” Cassian tries not to sound defensive and fails. Luke looks at Cassian, so guileless and open, biting his lip in consideration.

“I know, just, let me? Besides, it’s a chance for me to see more of the base. You’d be doing me a favor.”

Cassian feels another spike of pain. For some reason he can’t explain, he nods instead of rebuffing Luke again. Luke steps closer but doesn’t offer his arm in the patronizing way most would. Cassian starts walking again, trying not to glance over too often. He’s just heading down to get his shot over with and then he can go back to his quarters to sort through his semblance of ‘personal’ objects. (A bedroll, 2 blasters, a datapad, backup parts for K-2SO. His mother’s locket was lost between bases years ago.) Luke doesn’t press him into a conversation, carefully keeping pace with Cassian, walking along casually. There’s enough room for someone to walk between them but Luke is still close enough to grab if Cassian’s leg gave out. When Cassian does look over Luke is looking around like his excuse of seeing more of the base hadn’t been a lie. Cassian almost asks what he thinks of the place, but realizes how useless that is when they’ll all be evacuating soon.

They reach the med center, Nurse Kalonia tutting at Cassian like always, over-familiar but kind. She nods to Luke in greeting, seemingly not thinking it strange at all that he’d come there. Cassian sits on the bed and waits for her to prepare the hypo. Luke follows him into the smaller treatment area, which is...surprising, leaning back against the wall. Cassian can’t bring himself to say anything just yet, even when the pain makes him feel like lashing out and telling Luke to go. Kalonia is back quickly enough and Cassian lies on his side so she can administer the shot to the spot on his hip with the worst of the nerve damage, tugging his pants out of the way discreetly. He hisses through his teeth as she injects the medicine, hating the strangeness of it coursing through his veins while he waits for it to take effect. She pats his shoulder in a comforting gesture and he turns onto his back, offering her a grimace.

“I’ll be back to check on you. _Try_ to relax,” she says and Cassian nods just to make her go. Luke is still there, looking at Cassian almost shyly. The pain meds are starting to take effect, lessening the edge enough that he can ask Luke to leave without fear of it coming off too brusque.

"You have a bit of a celebration to get back to, I think. I don't want to keep you," Cassian says. Luke smiles and pushes off from the wall in opposition to Cassian’s words.

"It's quieter here, nice to have a break." Luke’s eyes dart to the chair by the bedside and then glance back to Cassian like he’s asking permission. Cassian doesn't offer it, waiting instead to see if Luke will take the silence as a hint to leave. Ducking his head, Cassian pulls down the hem of his shirt where it had ridden up when he moved. Luke apparently takes the lack of outright banishment as approval, sitting and settling in like he doesn’t mean to budge. It’s disconcerting having Luke this close, like he can study Cassian so easily. Part of Cassian wonders if Luke already has a better read on him than Cassian has been giving him credit for, if he can tell that Cassian only pushes back because everyone, _everything_ has been too much since Scarif.

“I won’t bother you, I mean, I know injuries like that can be difficult. My uncle once...” Luke trails off, his mouth downturning into a frown for just a moment. “It doesn’t matter, I guess. I’ll just be quiet, I swear.”

“Thanks,” Cassian says, feeling at a loss.

It’s easier to pretend with Jyn and Bodhi. They know how close they came to failing, to dying as martyrs for a lost cause. For a long time, he couldn’t stand being around anyone else, their presence alone serving as constant reassurance that they survived. He looks at the boy sitting at his bedside, a well of endless patience. Maybe Luke can relate to that feeling, so many lives lost to clear the way for his impossible shot. Dragging all these thoughts up isn’t making him feel any better, the silence suddenly awkward.

“You’re a long way from Tatooine, huh?” Cassian says and a smile quirks at the edge of Luke’s lips again, not fully reaching his eyes.

“I am,” Luke says, a wistfulness in the words that makes Cassian wish he’d started on something else. “There was nothing there for me anyway, not even much to talk about.” He can barely hide his vulnerability and it makes Cassian nervous, part of him wanting to warn Luke that he shouldn’t be so transparent. There are people who might hurt him for that someday.

“I left home a long time ago; I understand,” Cassian says, Luke's openness drawing out some of Cassian's own feelings. Maybe he needs to warn himself about showing his hand. Luke opens his mouth, almost like he wants to ask more, but he shuts it again, smart enough to know someone like Cassian has few happy memories to offer. Instead, Luke steers the conversation into something lighter.

“Only thing we had to do for fun was fly my junky T-16 around and shoot womprats.”

“Oh, I heard that much in the meeting...still not so sure what they are exactly,” Cassian says smiling. Luke's shoulders draw up in a shrug and he looks embarrassed.

“Just big, pretty nasty creatures,” Luke says making a face. “Talking about them in the meeting might not have been the best way to vouch for my skills...you don’t know how many jokes I’ve heard about it from the other pilots.”

“I can imagine. Seems like it was good practice, you got the job done after all.”

Luke smiles at that.“We did” The usual congratulations over the Scarif mission don’t follow. It’s something of a relief, his anonymity yet another casualty of the battle.

“They won’t tease you so much when you’ve been here longer, pilots are...protective of their own. If you’re staying, that is.” The idea dawns on him that maybe one mindblowing feat was enough to ask of a person, that it might be all Luke had signed up for. Luke nods seriously though, as if it should be obvious.

“I’ve been offered a permanent position once I train more on the X-Wings,” Luke says brightly, and then adds in a more somber tone, “to help the fleet rebuild.”

“Of course,” Cassian says, thinking of something safe to say that won’t bring back more bad memories. “You’ll probably meet my friend Bodhi then, once he’s cleared by medical to fly again.”

“We met, sort of. Just during the ceremony, I mean. I’ve heard a lot about him though.”

“I think you two will get along, he’s...” _good, like you,_ “a great pilot.”

“I’ll be sure to introduce myself better when I get the chance.”

“He was already rubbing elbows with Antilles when I left so it probably won’t be hard to find him.” He’s glad that Bodhi is finding his place here, even if it hurts a little not to be a part of it. He tries not to dwell on the similarities he sees between Bodhi and Luke because it feels painfully diminishing to them both. The conversation falters, but Cassian doesn’t feel so anxious anymore, wondering if it’s the pain meds making him relax or if it’s just the effect Luke has.

Cassian stretches his leg out on the bed, testing it and hoping he won’t have to stick around much longer in the small room. The company is nice but he should really get Luke back to the party — get himself back to his bed to sleep off the wave of feelings he’s been drowning in all day. The nerve in his hip is comfortably numb enough that he thinks he can move again. Taking advantage of this fact to shift from the lying position that reminds him all too much of when he’d first been in recovery, Cassian swings his legs over the side of the cot so his feet rest on the ground. Luke pauses the conversation to make sure Cassian sits up without injuring himself but doesn't let the silence stretch.

“Will you miss the base? I’ve barely been here, but what I’ve seen is amazing. Most green I’ve seen in my entire life.”

“Haven’t spent so much time here myself, but I know there are worse places to be.” _Jenoport, Kafrene, Eadu._ The memories wrack through him, but he doesn’t let his calm expression falter, aiming for lightness in his tone. “I guess I will miss it in a way.”

“Do you know what the next one will be like? Um, unless that’s classified, that is.”

Cassian almost admits that his clearance regarding classified activities has been sharply reduced since he came back. Cassian struggles not to resent Mon Mothma for ordering his medical leave extended, knowing it’s his own fault for not concealing his injuries well enough. He was healed enough for desk duty at least if she’d lift the ban.

“I’d tell you anyway if I knew, but I expect we’ll be on board Home One for a while before we settle somewhere. Better take advantage of the fresh air while you can.”

“We should,” Luke says, looking up from beneath his lashes, his blue eyes teasing and bright. “How’s your leg feeling?”

“It’s better. Much better, actually. I was thinking of making a break for it before Kalonia comes back.”

“I can help with that,” Luke says with a grin, standing from his chair and stretching. He offers Cassian a hand and he takes it without overthinking for once, using it to leverage himself up, letting go of it when he’s sure he’s steady on his feet. His leg feels like pins and needles for a moment, a brief side effect of the hypo that he’s shaken off enough times that it’s no longer a concern He takes a glance around the doorway, Kalonia distracted enough that she doesn’t get a chance to tell him off for leaving before they manage to slip by her.

Once they reach the corridor it’s not far back to the throne room. Cassian figures he’ll leave Luke there, but when they reach a passage that leads outside Luke pauses in the stretch of golden natural light that streams in, making Cassian stop too.

“I hoped we could take advantage of some of that fresh air now. If you aren’t sick of me yet, that is.” Cassian nearly laughs, feeling taken aback in a good way for the first time in a while.

“You know there are tons of people more cheerful than me who would fall over themselves to show you around?” Cassian says, unable to keep the disbelief from his voice. He shifts nervously, then seems to find some confidence, straightening up and looking Cassian directly in the eye. Maybe it's a Force thing, maybe it's just another unknown facet that's just Luke, but it feels almost unreal to Cassian. If he ever slept anymore he’d wonder if he was dreaming.

“I know. They’ve even offered, but I like you,” Luke says with a shrug and a smile playing at his lips. This time Cassian does huff out a laugh.

“Are you always so honest?” Cassian asks, stilled by the sudden realization that Luke is blushing. The flush spreading across his features as he drags his eyes away from Cassian with a sigh.

“If I’m bothering you I can go, I just thought,” Luke takes a step away and Cassian feels conflicted. Part of him thinks he should push Luke away, let him go back to the party and find comfort in his friends. Luke worries his lip, those bright eyes wrought with concern like he’s slighted Cassian in some way.

“It really doesn’t,” Cassian says softly because Luke deserves some honesty in return. He deserves some effort too, to let him know that Cassian does appreciate Luke’s attention despite everything in his mind telling him to warn Luke off. Cassian puts his hand out in the space between them like an offering.

“Come on, let me show you around before the sun sets entirely.” Luke hesitates a moment, looking between the open hand and Cassian's face, like it's some kind of trick, but then his palm is warm against Cassian’s. His smile returns and Cassian tangles their fingers to pull him close. They exit the temple and the light is already shifting in waves of orange and pink, that perfect edge of twilight when everything looks surreal. The star cycle around the moon is so much calmer than so many of the planets he’s been to on missions. The smooth slide between day and night like a dance with none of the harshness of being bathed in light or dark for weeks like you might be in other corners of the galaxy. Though he’d already admitted it to Luke, he realizes in the moment how true it is that he will miss this place.

“This place is huge,” Luke says, “the Force moves strangely here.”

“It was built a long time ago and converted by the Alliance once they’d scouted out the moon.”

(He doesn't tell Luke how the assessment reminds him of Chirrut and of Baze who would have openly rebuffed them. Jyn with her kyber necklace almost glowing as they ran to the transport on the beach. The Force and Cassian still have different priorities but once in a while it set things right.)

Luke takes in everything, not letting his loose grip on Cassian’s hand falter as they slowly make their way along the side of the building. Cassian’s seen the temple from the air so many times that he knows there’s a clearing on the other side, a better spot to watch the sun sink below the horizon. They reach the spot and Luke grins at the clear view. He doesn’t take convincing to sit down against the side of the ziggurat. Cassian disentangles his hand from Luke’s, splaying them in the grass by his sides. Leaning back against the sun-warmed stone, he shuts his eyes a moment. When he opens them Luke’s gaze is settled far away on the horizon, his own hand pressed to the earth not far from Cassian’s.

“It’s a lot different from the sunsets back home,” Luke says, tilting his gaze back to Cassian.

“What were they like?” Cassian asks, holding back so many pieces of himself and still wanting a part of Luke. Luke pauses, rubbing at the back of his neck a little, his mouth twisting like thinking about it is painful. Cassian wishes he hadn’t asked suddenly, but Luke has already started to talk.

“Well, for one thing, there were two suns instead of one which meant twice the heat during the day and twice the chill when they disappeared at night. The colors though, the way everything would shift from this orange haze to purple in the minutes before night fell — that was the special part. Sometimes it would be so dark you could barely see the horizon at night, almost like standing just in the middle of the stars.” He takes a shuddering breath, eyes glazed over as he remembers a different sky. “That’s where I wanted to be, up in the stars. I’d always go out alone and look off like this, hoping to be anywhere but there.”

He turns to Cassian then, blinking hard and holding back the emotion stirred by the memory of his home. It’s a fresh loss and Luke’s heart is still tender, not yet numbed by war. Cassian can only nod in understanding, swallowing back the condolences on his tongue because they’re never enough. He doesn’t press for more but Luke speaks again anyway.

“I was going to leave for the Imperial Academy after the next harvest,” he confesses. Cassian feels himself go tense at the words and Luke looks so guilty, for a reality that hadn’t even come to pass. Cassian can’t imagine what Luke would think of his sins.

“I know now. I know how naive I was and it hurts, that I would have left my family just,” he breaks off, “just for a chance to be selfish and fly. Part of me wants to believe I’d have been like Biggs, that I would have gotten out after, but who knows.” Luke looks lost, like he’s said more than he meant to.

“You would have,” Cassian says, “I know you would.” Luke looks down at his hands, shaking his head. It isn’t Cassian’s place but seeing Luke weighed down by grief hurts. He isn’t sure if the words will come out right but he has to try.

“Bodhi did. It was the hardest thing in his life but he knew it was the right thing and he went. He said he followed his heart and it led him here and then you finished our mission.” Luke opens his mouth like he might protest, but Cassian doesn’t let him. “I don’t know if it means anything if it’s the Force or you’re the next great hope like everyone says but, you’re here now. That’s what matters.”

“You barely know me,” Luke says and Cassian can only shrug.

“I guess I just like you too,” Cassian answers, reaching between them tentatively to cover Luke’s hand with his own. The angle of the sun has shifted just so and Luke is beautiful, bathed in the fading light and Cassian thinks he must have done something right to end up here. They sit in a place that could have been blown from existence and Cassian doesn’t believe in miracles but they’re still here, still fighting.

Luke’s shoulders lose some of their tension and he extricates his hand only to slide closer, pressing his warm weight along Cassian’s side. It feels easy as he lets Luke tuck close, wrapping an arm around Luke as if he were used to offering comfort, or to receiving it. Luke rests his head on Cassian’s shoulder with a shuddering breath passing from his lips as the light fades out. The bioluminescent plants blink into vision, almost as bright as the distant stars.

Luke tilts his head and Cassian feels exposed, but with no doubt that Luke will cover him when he dares lean down and press their lips together. Even if this is foolish, if they never speak again because Luke is too important, he lets himself be selfish for an instant.

Luke tilts his head, shifting the angle so they’re both more comfortable and deepening the kiss all at once. Cassian threads his free hand into Luke’s soft hair and feels more grounded than he has in a long time. Luke lets out a sigh when they part. Luke’s eyes had fluttered shut and when he opens them his gaze is almost overwhelming. He pulls back, looking at Cassian like he’s just seeing him for the first time, or like he’s known him for a thousand years. Cassian feels breathless in his focus as Luke brings a hand up to cup his jaw, pressing a softer kiss to Cassian’s lips.

“C’mon, lets head back to the celebration,” Luke says when he pulls back. "People will be missing you."

It's a ridiculous thought when he has the hero of the party by his side, blinking up softly and patient for Cassian's answer. Cassian knows Luke will stick close, that his friends will seek him out again, that he should take comfort in the solidarity before everyone is splintered in the move. Still, he can’t bring himself to wade back into a crowd just yet, wanting to keep this moment for himself a while longer.

“In a few more minutes,” Cassian says, leaning back and looking up at the stars. Luke tucks back beside him like they’d been settled before. It’s easy to breathe for once, for Cassian to shut his eyes and let the sound of the humming cicadas fade. The worries will return tomorrow, along with the weight of their responsibilities and maybe, with them, even regret. But for now, Cassian doesn’t shy away from Luke’s warmth, or from the memories that wash over him of a life where he was loved.

With hope, he thinks, he’ll find his way back there one day.


End file.
